An invasive worm warning as spring starts

OK, we have to apologize for this next story, because for the next two minutes we’re going to be showing you these creepy critters that could be Slytherin their way into your garden. And as David Zura reports, they’re not just slimy, they could actually pose a threat to the ecosystem and even humans in our pets, they grow to between one and three feet. They get to be quite they can get to be quite large. Since 2019, the wandering broadhead planarian, or hammerhead worm as it’s commonly known, has been spotted across Ontario, including the GTA, the invasive species from Asia that’s been seen plenty in the US and Quebec looks a lot like an earthworm, but gets its nickname from the large, flat shape of its head. Not to mention the worm secrets, a paralyzing toxin made of the same molecule produced by puffer fish. It isn’t really harmful to adults. It might create a bit of a ration reaction to really young young children, but that that can be a bit of a problem. But they certainly aren’t aren’t fatal. It’s coming probably in through the nursery trade. Meanwhile, Kathy Kavasilis is in Houlton region and a member of the Master Gardeners of Ontario. She says it’s extremely rare still, but certainly has is now being reported in Ontario. Is this the kind of worm that you’ll run to simply, well, you know, you want to plant some petunias, you’re digging up the garden and this is just what will be there. Potentially, yeah, potentially it could be. You know if you particularly if you have moist soils, that’s really rich in earthworms. For gardeners out there who encounter one of these worms, my understanding is don’t touch it with your bare hands. I don’t touch it with bare hands. Wear gloves and we give this advice to to many things in the garden. I’d be more concerned about the damage they may do to ecosystems than the damage they would do to to people for local ecosystems. Is there something you can foresee that’s particularly at risk here in the GTA? In Ontario, the the one that that is most likely here, they feed mostly on earthworms. Earthworms are an invasive species themselves, so the ones that you see in your gardens are actually problematic species. They they do harm to fields of Trillium like the one in my background, she adds. There’s more than one species of hammerhead worm and depending on which version actually takes hold will be an important factor as they have different diets, explaining some prefer earthworms, snails and slugs versus their cousins that will also eat the larva of ground nesting pollinators. That is going to be a problem. Cavasilis also telling us she believes Canada is not well equipped to fend off invasive species like this. We just don’t have in place a system to to stop the sales to to look at how things are spread like these worms via soils. If one of those worms is ingested by a person or a pet, the advice is to seek emergency medical attention. We have also reached out to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry For City News. I’m David Zura.